The first major mountains of the 90th Giro d'Italia loom to the west of Torino in the Alps on the Italian/French border. The antipasto is the heavy duty Colle dell'Agnello, a 21.3-kilometre beast that rises to 2744 metres after 102 kilometres of racing. At the summit, the road plunges into France and at the famous road junction in Chateau-Queyras, turns right up the southern face of the evocative Col d'Izoard.

This legendary Tour de France ascent covers 14.2 kilometres at an average of 7.1% and the last few kilometres traverse the picturesque section called the Casse Deserte. Once over the 2360-metre summit, it's a steep descent to finish in Briançon. Look for the Giro strong-men to emerge on Stage 12.